Liverpool celebrated the Year of the Dog in style with a 3-day celebration full of parades, performance, projections & pyrotechnics!

Thousands turned out to celebrate this landmark event in Liverpool 2018, and more so Chapter One ofChina Dream, as the city embraces a 9-month contemporary arts season, discovering ancient art and exploring modern Chinese culture.

This year’s Chinese New Year celebrations saw the city embrace our rich Chinese culture, with an illuminating projection show and a powerful pyrotechnic finale on the biggest Chinese Arch outside of China.

The projections told the tale of Jingwei Legacy! Jingwei, the mythical and ancient bird, which for centuries has been dropping seeds, sticks and stones from its homeland into the ocean – which have grown and formed new, diverse lands and communities. This story shows us the arrival and development of the Chinese communities across the UK and Liverpool.

Traditional celebrations took place across Chinatown, starting with two parades – a Dragon and Lion Parade (獅子和龍) and a Unicorn Parade (獨角獸) with a series of street performances, family workshops, art installations, and of course the popular Chinese market on George Street selling gifts, souvenirs and mouth watering food!

The Augmented Reality AR trail is available all year round! And will introduce you to some amazing people like a poet, musicians, and artist and others who will tell you about their Chinese heritage and roots. You too can join the story and answer the question “what are your roots?”

Chinese New Year 2018 is part of Chapter One of China Dream, a 9-month city-wide exploration of contemporary Chinese arts & culture from February to October.

There are lots of different ways that you can travel around the China Dream events – Whether you Get There By Train, or by Bus – Plan Your Journey!

Stagecoach, an Official Supporter of China Dream offer a Megarider option – pay once and travel all week! Whether you’re meeting a friend atPRESENCE on Friday or enjoying an evening of projections on Sunday, the more you travel the more you save!Merseyrail run regular rail services to 67 stations across Merseyside with return tickets from just £1.95 – Use Merseyrail’sJourney Planner on our dedicated Travel Page.